Films for those seeking captivation.

Snow White and the Huntsman (PG-13)

Chris Hemsworth is by far the best part of this film. Charlize Theron’s a close second and Kristen Stewart isn’t bad.

People hate that chick. Understandably so, she’s not caught smiling all that often.

But hey, lay off Kristen, she does okay in this film.

Hemsworth steals the show though. And overall…

It’s very good!

Here’s the thing.

Snow White and The Huntsman is just a great adventure. That’s all it is. Expect nothing spectacular in terms of metaphor, narrative intricacy and complicated motivation.

It’s just a fun, action-packed and intriguing retelling of the classic story.

All critically acclaimed derivations of Snow White offer commentary about the strength of women in their relevant historical context.

Grimm’s classic fairy tale, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was finalized in 1854. It’s about a young woman who is highly susceptible to trusting suspicious strangers and her inability to resist temptation in the face of personal gain (without the presence of men, of course.) Obviously it’s not the most empowering narrative.

Walt Disney released his first full-length animated feature in 1937 under the same name. Our protagonist is more loving and helps the dwarves to grow as individuals.

Animators at the time were struggling to draw masculine facial features. So the audience rarely catches a glimpse of the The Prince from the front. When they do, he appears quite feminine.

ABC’s series Once Upon a Time features Snow White prominently as a major player. She’s a strong female who actually saves Prince Charming by giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. (It’s a brilliant and compelling inversion on the classic narrative.)

Snow White and the Huntsman is Universal Pictures’s2012reinterpretation of the classic tale. And while it attempts to offer commentary on the place of women in royalty, it’s merely to justify Ravenna’s (played by Charlize) evil nature.

When it ends, you kind of think, “Well okay, that’s that. Guess I’ll move on to other things.” But that’s okay, if you’re a generous viewer.

What works particularly well is the CGI and special effects. The fight sequences are spectacular. I love a movie that gives you a little taste of battle at the beginning, and unloads a huge scene at the end.

At one point, an army on horseback raids a castle from the beach. And it looks completely real! The final battle is epic. There’s hot tar, catapults launching fiery rocks and some solid sword clashing.

Stewart’s Snow White is a shallow character. That’s ultimately her problem in this movie. I like the part where she’s dancing with Gus.

Her character is not wholly fleshed out because her power doesn’t stem from anywhere other than her royal blood, and she only acts out of desperation. She doesn’t necessarily rise to the call, she just sort of falls into place and plays her part.

But the adventure is, at times, truly captivating. Things slow down when bedtime nears in the fishing village, and with the dwarves in the forest. Overall though, the pacing remains pretty quick.

The stuff in the forest is a lot of fun; of particular note are the mushrooms that exude noxious fumes that have a hallucinogenic effect. The mossy snakes and tortoises, the butterfly flowers, and the dangling mushroom caps in the fairy Sanctuary are all great too.

The scenery is elaborate, and the settings are picturesque.

Some strong editing and cinematography is used to seamlessly align the surreal with the surrounding environment.

The giant white elk is so cool. What a great piece of fantastic imagery. I’ve never seen anything like that before.

So although the plot element in this specific story is unclear, the elk represents the spirit of nature. It’s an original take on a concept that only exists in the fantasy genre. The mythical animal is rendered beautifully.

I also really like the glass soldiers that Ravenna could control. And the new take on the magic mirror is a lot of fun, but a bit misleading.

Ravenna seems to be imagining the mirror’s effect. Which is intriguing, but inconsequential. It goes back to my theory about the ‘incongruence of metaphysical properties.’ We’re unsure where she derives her power from, so what is to be taken from the implication she’s imagining the mirror effect? I’m afraid the answer’s nothing really.

But the best part of SW&TH is, like I said before, Hemsworth’s role. Once Upon a Time dabbles in exploring the background of the classic Huntsman character. However, this movie illustrates a more complete picture.

The use of a small battle-axe, and the two hatchets as projectiles, is innovative and fun.

It gets a little dusty when we lose one of the characters, which is always a good sign.

The ending’s a bit unsatisfying because we have a few questions we’ll never get the answer to. Primarily, do Snow White and The Huntsman ever fall in love?

So although this rendition of Snow White doesn’t do much for the feminist cause, it’s still a great adventure, and an eye-catching retelling of the classic narrative.